Targetcasting mixes the marketing with the creation of the product. The audience is involved in creating what they want. I create products, services, articles, and Web designs driven by what the audience asks for. That's why my cytes bring people back again and again. I know that people come to explore and to talk about what they are interested in. Remember, it's not just the content, but the chance to discuss and learn about your Web cyte that makes it interesting. Content is just the environment; dialogue and discussion feed the whole process and keep them coming back because they are part of the Web cyte, not just outsiders watching.
If you want that kind of cyte, read on...if not, go back to your Java tricks and pray that all those "hip" people buy your vision, because you're missing the most incredible technology available...the imagination and participation of your audience.
You want to create a Web cyte that brings people back, driving traffic and recognition. So why fall for the "Gold Rush" myths of the new technologies? It's easy to get stuck in your own vision of what the Web will be and forget what we are all dealing with now: reality. When the Web breaks down, the message breaks down. The most important part of any Web site is the audience and their ability to participate. Remember? To be interactive? Here are four steps to help you become interactive.
Step 1. Create a Work in Progress, not a Final Product; Let the Audience Control Your Web Cyte by focusing on Feedback
The Web isn't a place for final products, but for works in progress. Instead of spending your valuable time and money trying to convince the audience that your viewpoint is worth exploring, why not gather market research and adapt your content to what they want?
Targetcasting begins by focusing on the imagination of your audience. You have to define just what the interest is, discover what others are doing, and develop a unique vision that no one else is doing. Be sure to keep up to date on your audience as well. You won't do this by sitting down alone in your room, planning and flow-charting your own imagination into a Web site.
Traditional publishing is based on supplying a product. The Web is based on finding out what the demand is from the audience and creating products, services, and information that fulfills that need. The advantage of the Web is in integrating the audience into your cyte, gathering feedback, and then creating products.
What does this mean to you? Get your Web site up and work it into shape. Start slowly. Don't use the "Under Construction" icon; simply provide room for feedback with enough content to entertain and entice people to come back for more. Be sure to follow up on your promises or you will destroy your site. But if you wait to create that one unique breakthrough off-line, your Web cyte will lose ground as thousands and thousands of sites come on monthly. Get it online and get it working. The cyte will keep changing, be dynamic, and show signs of life with this approach, generating traffic.
Step 2. Targetcasting: Use Forms to Keep Them Coming Back
If you want the audience to send you feedback, use forms, and I don't just mean a standard guest book. Give visitors a reason to share their ideas and provide a place for feedback loops to be listed. Moderate your feedback and you'll find a wealth of information.
Don't just use an email link, such as "Email me at dunn@best.com." It's boring, brings up a Netscape box, and will severely limit your feedback. I've tested this on numerous sites on the Web and without a doubt, my most popular sites use forms to dramatically increase feedback. If people see a form on the screen, they will act on it.
However, don't use too many forms. I've tried putting forms everywhere to encourage feedback, but it was too much noise on my part. I've found that a good form on the home page, encouraging feedback for all issues, is the best path. I've seen many people put a form on its own page, but I like to keep it part of the home page. The most responses I get is to a form on the home page, summarizing feedback for the entire cyte—a one-stop place to respond.
For an example of a cyte that has been built by Targetcasting, visit the home of Appraisers Online Network (AON). This cyte started out focused solely on the business, but by listening to the audience and following this approach, was able to evolve into a large and growing network of professionals who work together. Targetcasting proved to be the best road to follow.
Step 3: Listen to the Audience, Use Email Wisely, and Create Requested Mailing Lists
So many sites ask for responses, then don't do anything, missing a great opportunity to develop interactivity. Treat your email responses like you would any business correspondence. If you want to flame someone, think about what you are doing. Where else but on the Web does someone ask a question and get screamed at? If someone asks a "stupid" question (if you think it's stupid, you should question your approach anyway), create a standard response that doesn't intimidate or antagonize. Invite people in to participate and trust in their brilliance; don't let your ego get in the way. Open up, give them a place to express themselves, and design your cyte so as many people as possible can view what you're doing no matter what their browser or Internet hook-up, and you'll create an amazing Web site.
I've found that asking visitors to indicate whether or not they would like to receive monthly newsletters citing updates at my cytes is an excellent way to encourage participation and keep people in touch with your site. All this means to me is keeping a list of email addresses in Eudora, writing up a page of text once a month, and mailing it. I would avoid calling this list a mailing list, since people associate this with a large volume of email. Make sure you phrase it so they are excited about joining and keeping in touch with your site, and invite them to distribute it. I have one visitor who distributes my newsletter on newsgroups and to friends; he once wrote and asked if it he could forward it to 400 interested parties. Where else can you get this kind of support?
One word of advice: don't just ask the audience to tell you how cool you are, invite them into participate. Encourage people to contribute articles, graphics, art, and ideas. Many of my most successful cytes are driven by content generated by the audience. And it makes my job easier, allowing me to focus on new angles for the business.
Step 4: The Power of Language
HTML, the language of the Web, is a simple language based on headlines, text and graphics. Look around the Web and see how few people use headlines. Think about your audience, madly surfing around the Web looking for signs of intelligent life. All they run into are huge graphics, strangely organized sites, and attempts to force people to see the world through an individual's eyes. Nice if you're an artist waiting to die to be understood, but it's death for a business.
Design your site simply, make it easy to get around, and use active verbs. Use the words "New," "You," or "How" in your headline and explain the benefits of your site to the audience. Many Web designers simply list the features of the site.
Think of it this way: you go to buy a car and the salesman tells you it's red, has four tires, and seats. So you leave and go the next store, where the next salesman shows you how this car will go from 0 to 60 in seconds, has several colors you can choose from to meet your own tastes, and has luxurious seats that will allow you to drive for hours in total comfort.
Which car would you buy? Better yet, which Web site would you visit—one that tells you about its features or spells out the benefits (what it does for you, the visitor). The audience is selfish and looking to satisfy themselves, just like we all are. It's up to you to fulfill this need. While everyone else is running around looking for the latest and greatest technology, you should remember the power of language to engage the most powerful bandwidth available—the human imagination.
Conclusion: Targetcasting and "Web Cytes"
The best way to get the audience involved in your site is to design for their needs. I use this approach with all my clients. By keeping it simple in the beginning, we build a Web cyte based on input. This provides a stream of people coming back to see the changes. Final products wear both you and the audience out. Why not be an innovator and save your energy for marketing your Web cyte. Remember, the power is in the audience. So use it to your advantage.
Don't forget or ignore the emerging technologies. I will be incorporating Java into my cyte soon, but gradually. My visitors don't come for the pretty pictures or the special effects, because their appeal wears out with repeated visits. They come to learn, participate, and grow with the cyte.
By the way, throughout this article I refer to two words: site and cyte. You already know what a site is, but a "cyte" is an active Web growing with participation of the audience. The best cytes are those that change and adapt to what the audience wants. A good cyte will:
1. Include forms for feedback, especially on the first page.
2. Use graphics to decorate a page and headlines/text to get the audience interested.
3. Develop products, services and content based on what the audience wants or, better yet, what the audience provides. Imagine going to a site and getting published—what a surprise. And what a way to publicize your site—by word of mouth.
Take care, and let me know about your cytes by emailing me at dunn@writething.com. I'm always interested in learning better ways to publish, promote, and generate results on the World Wide Web. And please visit my cyte, The Web Letter. We are ready to listen and learn. After all, you are the best judge of a good Web cyte.